Barge hauling apparatus

ABSTRACT

A long and narrow shuttle float is adapted to be towed back and forth along a barge-unloading dock. Movably connected to an end of the float is an arm that extends outwardly away from the outer side of the float. The outer end of the arm carries means for detachably connecting it to one end of a loaded barge beside the float. There are means for swinging the outer end of the arm inwardly toward the float to hold a barge engaged by it against the outer side of the float while it tows the barge back and forth by means of the arm. Means may also be mounted on the opposite end of the float to help hold the barge against the float.

United States Patent Inventor App]. No.

Filed Patented Assignee Bennie A. Rose Mount Lebanon Township, Pa.

July 29, 1970 Dec. 14, 1971 Heyl and Patterson, llnc. Pittsburgh, Pa.

BARGE HAULING APPARATUS 10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,221,012 4/1917 Anderson 115/7 1,618,401 2/1927 Baer 114/235 A Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix Attorney-Brown, Murray, Flick & Peckham ABSTRACT: A long and narrow shuttle float is adapted to be towed back and forth along a barge-unloading dock. Movably connected to an end of the float is an arm that extends outwardly away from the outer side of the float. The outer end of the arm carries means for detachably connecting it to one end of a loaded barge beside the float. There are means for swinging the outer end of the arm inwardly toward the float to hold a barge engaged by it against the outer side of the float while it tows the barge back and forth by means of the arm. Means may also be mounted on the opposite end of the float to help hold the barge against the float.

Patented Dec. 14, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 73 dime/6 IZZJ 2042mm Mg ATiO/QA/EVS.

Patented Dec. 14, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 1;;

hm PM W E m M B BARGIE HAULING APPARATUS In unloading barges alongside a clock, it is common practice to shuttle a barge back and forth under an unloader and remove only part of the load during each pass. The shuttling customarily is accomplished by attaching haul lines to the opposite ends of the barge and then pulling on one line or the other by means of a winch or winches located on the shore. A 4,000ton per hour unloader will unload a 1,500-ton barge in about 30 minutes from the time the barge starts its first pass until it completes the second and cleanup pass beneath the unloader. For such unloading (neglecting barge tum-around time), the unloading rate would be 3,000 tons per hour. However, the time consumed in attaching the haul lines to the loaded barge and then removing them from the empty barge for attachment to the next loaded barge can consume excessive time, so the average unloading rate drops to only about 2,100 tons per hour. It is important to increase this average rate as much as possible. To do this, it has been proposed to attach one end of the loaded barge to a small shuttle barge that is permanently connected to the haul-lines for moving it back and forth along the clock. The small shuttle barge then tows the loaded barge. Although there are some advantages in this, considerable time still is consumed in connecting and disconnecting the ropes that attach the large barge to winches on the shuttle barge.

It is an object of this invention to provide barge hauling apparatus for use at an unloading dock, which reduces to a minimum the time required for connecting a loaded barge to, and disconnecting an empty barge from, the hauling means. Another object is to provide such apparatus that is simple in construction and operation, and that reduces manual labor.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a barge beside an unloading dock;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the front ends of the barge and a shuttle float beside the dock;

FIG. 3 is an elevation taken on the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an end view taken on the line IV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the rear end of the float; and I FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side view of the float.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 of the drawings, a long and narrow boat or float l floats in the water alongside an unloading dock 2. The float need only be 4 or 5 feet wide, but may have a length of as much as 150 feet. It is 6 to 8 feet deep and to make it stable it is filled with ballast. Its ends are tapered as shown. The opposite ends of the float are connected by haulage ropes or cables 3 to winches 4 mounted on shore beyond the opposite ends of the unloading zone. Or, if desired, the winches can be located on the dock at the center of the unloading zone and the haulage lines extended around sheaves at opposite ends of that zone. By means of the haulage lines and the winches, the float can be shuttled back and forth along the dock beneath the unloader, the location of the boom of which is indicated by the arrow 5 in FIG. 1.

Connected to the top of the float near one end, called the front end herein, there is a tow arm 6 that extends outwardly away from the outer side of the float as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This arm has an inner end portion or base 7 rotatably mounted on a vertical pin 8 projecting upwardly from a heavy bracket 9 secured to the float. One of the haulage lines may be connected to this same bracket. The long body 10 of the arm is connected by a horizontal pivot pin 11 to the base 7. Another horizontal pivot pin 12 at the outer end of the arm supports a device 13 for quickly attaching it to a loaded barge 14. This device is an inverted cup provided with a downwardly opening socket that will fit over the bit 15 at the near comer of the barge. To enable the outer end of the am to be raised, a fluid pressure cylinder 16 is connected between its base 7 and a pair of lugs 17 projecting upwardly from its main body. In order to keep the attaching cup 13 horizontal, regardless of the inclination of the arm, the cup has upwardly projecting lugs 18 pivotally connected to the outer ends of parallel links 19, the inner ends of which are pivoted to upstanding lugs 20 on the base 7 of the arm. The outer end of the arm can be swung laterally by a fluid pressure cylinder 21 pivotally connected to the inner end of the arm and to a bracket 22 secured to the top of the float.

Assuming that a barge has just been unloaded and the shuttle float still is in its forward dotted line position in FIG. I, a loaded barge 14 is moved by a work boat into a position beside the dock with its front end just behind the point where the unloader boom would lower into the barge. The float, disconnected from the empty barge, then is drawn rapidly backward and its tapered rear end will push between the loaded barge and dock so that the float slides between them to the full line position in FIG. 1. The previously raised tow arm 6 now is lowered to fit its socket over the barge bit 15. When the shuttle float is moved ahead again, the pivoted arm will cause the barge to move in against the float if the barge has floated out away from it. Or, the front end of the barge can first be pulled in against the float by operating the fluid pressure cylinder 21 to swing the arm in toward the float.

To make sure that the rear end of the barge also lies against the float, the adjacent end of the float may carry means for attachment to the side of the barge. Preferably, in order to avoid manual labor, a holding arm 25 is used that is pivotally mounted on a vertical pin 26 on the adjacent end of the float in the same manner as the tow arm. This holding arm likewise is jointed by means of a horizontal pivot pin 27. The outer end of the arm is formed by a laterally projecting bar 28, the outer end of which is provided with a downwardly extending plate 29 for engaging the inner surface of the near side of the barge. The outer end of the arm can be adjusted up and down by means of a fluid pressure cylinder 31 connected to the inner end of the arm and lugs 32 projecting from the top of the arm outwardly beyond pivot pin 27. This holding arm, by means of a fluid pressure cylinder 33 connected to it and a bracket 34 on the float, will hold the adjoining side of the barge against the float. Therefore, as the float is moved back and forth along the dock by the haulage lines, the tow arm 6 pulls or pushes the barge along with the float. The float, of course, is squeezed between the barge and the dock and cannot tip over. As the barge is unloaded, it rises in the water and swings the two arms upwardly on their horizontal pivots as indicated in dotted lines in FIGS. 3 and 6. At the same time, the barge must move forward along the shuttle float as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2, which is allowed by pivot 8 for the tow arm. After the last pass of the barge beneath theunloading boom, the float tows the barge ahead to the dotted line position in FIG. I and then is disconnected from it and moved back quickly for connection to a loaded barge that has been moved in behind it. The unloader barge is taken away by the work boat.

The fluid pressure lines (not shown) to the various arm-controlling cylinders can be controlled by valves operated by the man operating the unloader. No men need approach the shuttle float and barge in order to connect and disconnect them. The connection and disconnection can be made very rapidly as there are no lines to handle.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. Barge-hauling apparatus for use at an unloading dock, comprising a long and narrow shuttle float having inner and outer sides, means attached to the float for towing it back and forth along a dock with its inner side close to the dock. an arm movably connected to an end of the float and extending outwardly away from its outer side, attachment means carried by the outer end of the arm for detachable connection to one end of a barge floating beside the outer side of the float, and means for swinging the outer end of said arm inwardly toward the float to hold a barge engaged by it against the outer side of the float while the float tows it back and forth by means of said arm.

2. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 1, in which said arm-swinging means include a fluid pressure cylinder connected with the float and the arm.

3. Barge-haluing apparatus according to claim 1, in which said amt-swinging means include means pivoting the inner end of said arm on a vertical axis on the float, and a fluid pressure cylinder connected with the float and the arm for swinging the arm on said pivoting means.

4. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 1, including means pivoting the inner end of said arm on a horizontal axis on the float, whereby the outer end of the arm can rise as a barge is unloaded and rises in the water.

5. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 4, including means on the float for swinging the outer end of said arm upwardly.

6. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 4, in which said attachment includes a device pivotally connected to the outer end of said arm on a transverse axis, said device being provided with a downwardly opening socket adapted to receive the top of a barge bit, and a link pivoted at its ends to said device and the inner end of the arm for maintaining said device substantially horizontal as the arm swings up and down.

7. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 1. including restraining means carried by the opposite end of said float for engaging the barge to help said arm hold the barge against the float.

8. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 7, in which said restraining means include a second arm movably connected to the float and extending outwardly away from said outer side, the outer end of the second arm being formed for engaging the adjacent inner sidewall of the barge, and means for swinging the outer end of the second arm inwardly toward the float.

9. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 8, including means pivoting the inner end of the second arm on a horizontal axis on the float, whereby the outer end of the second arm can rise and fall.

10. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 8, including means pivoting the inner end of the second arm on a horizontal axis on the float, whereby the outer end of the second arm can rise and fall, and means on the float for swinging the outer end of the second arm upwardly. 

1. Barge-hauling apparatus for use at an unloading dock, comprising a long and narrow shuttle float having inner and outer sides, means attached to the float for towing it back and forth along a dock with its inner side close to the dock, an arm movably connected to an end of the float and extending outwardly away from its outer side, attachment means carried by the outer end of the arm for detachable connection to one end of a barge floating beside the outer side of the float, and means for swinging the outer end of said arm inwardly toward the float to hold a barge engaged by it against the outer side of the float while the float tows it back and forth by means of said arm.
 2. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 1, in which said arm-swinging means include a fluid pressure cylinder connected with the float and the arm.
 3. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 1, in which said arm-swinging means include means pivoting the inner end of said arm on a vertical axis on the float, and a fluid pressure cylinder connected with the float and the arm for swinging the arm on said pivoting means.
 4. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 1, including means pivoting the inner end of said arm on a horizontal axis on the float, whereby the outer end of the arm can rise as a barge is unloaded and rises in the water.
 5. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 4, including means on the float for swinging the outer end of said arm upwardly.
 6. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 4, in which said attachment means include a device pivotally connected to the outer end of said arm on a transverse axis, said device being provided with a downwardly opening socket adapted to receive the top of a barge bit, and a link pivoted at its ends to said device and the inner end of the arm for maintaining said device substantially horizontal as the arm swings up and down.
 7. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 1, including restraining means carried by the opposite end of said float for engaging the barge to help said arm hold the barge against the float.
 8. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 7, in which said restraining means include a second arm movably connected to the float and extending outwardly away from said outer side, the outer end of the second arm being formed for engaging the adjacent inner sidewall of the barge, and means for swinging the outer end of the second arm inwardly toward the float.
 9. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 8, including means pivoting the inner end of the second arm on a horizontal axis on the float, whereby the outer end of the second arm can rise and fall.
 10. Barge-hauling apparatus according to claim 8, including means pivoting the inner end of the second arm on a horizontal axis on the float, whereby the outer end of the second arm can rise and fall, and means on the float for swinging the outer end of the second arm upwardly. 